Prestige

There is a tailor shop at distance of 100 meters from our house. The tailor “Kalim”
used to stitch my Papa’s dresses, he will charge less to my father. Kalim gives home service to us to take and deliver the cloths as my Papa prefers. Kalim also used to do our minor cloth repairing works. In our medium class family our all cloths are dear companions to us hence we use it until they refuses to fit us. This time Kalim did not returned our cloths, it has been 20 days since he took our cloths. Among the repairable cloths there was new costly suit length of Papa too. He was about to deliver those after 3 days only when he took our cloths. Papa got concerned and he went to his shop to enquire about him. Even after frequent visits he always found his shop closed. Kalim told us that he is about to go his relative’s house after some days. Did he went early or he is sick at home or some thing else? We can never think that he will escape after taking the cloths. He is very simple tailor. His stammering voice and delayed delivery date is well known to us. His red tooth coloured due to pan, looks like a window of his mostly unshaven face. I used to wonder why did not Kalim’s own dresses fits himself well. May he is not able to take his own measurement correctly. The concern for missing Kalim was directly proportional to missing cloths too. The owner of his rented shop was the staff of my Papa’s department. His name was Mr. Sen. Now after expire of Mr. Sen, his wife and two sons take care of the shop. Papa met them and enquired about Kalim. Where he knew that Kalim have closed the shop since last 15 days but they did not told the reason of his shop closure. Baba informed them Kalim have to deliver the stitched cloths to us. So they should inform us whenever Kailm opens the shop.
Next day, Mr.Sen’s son informed us that Kalim have opened the shop. And he also informed that the he is vacating the shop today. We were shocked .Why is he vacating the shop? Anyway Papa told me to go to him at once and bring the cloths back since he have paid most of his sewing charges on his request earlier itself. I went there and saw several people standing at the shop gate for their cloths. He was busy in taking out the cloths from one poly bags and to other. People were busy taking their cloths. On seeing me he gave the stitched trouser of Papa. I asked about the other cloths which required repairing. He told that he will deliver those tomorrow at our house. I was not the only one, he was telling same to everybody who were taking the unstitched cloths. He seemed to beg the persons “please don’t take your cloths, I will deliver all your cloths to your house”. But the people were taking their cloths. May they were feeling insecurity after he will leave the place. “How can we believe you, where you will set your shop, How can we know”a person commented. “I will get another shop some where near this colony only” came the confident reply. In his confidence I saw the weakness of misery. He was sweating and kept begging .My conscience did not allowed me to take the cloths. I was thinking that even if he takes my repairable cloths at least some person will use them. May someone be benefited using these old cloths? Mrs. Sen was standing near by along with his son. On enquiry I knew that he have not paid the rent since last two month. So he was noticed to vacate the shop today itself.
Returning home I told Papa about Kalim’s leaving the shop and my unwillingness to leave the cloths there. Papa suggested me that I should have taken the unprepared cloths too. This time seeing me busy he went to Kalim’s shop for getting the remained cloths.
After one hour Papa was back home without taking cloths. He told me that Kalim will not leave the shop from there because he have settled the dispute of the Kalim and the Sen family. Actually mrs. Sen have told him to pay the rental of shop which was due since last two months .According to Kalim, he has been paying the month’s payment in advance and there is only one month’s rent due to him. He told about the details of the currency notes and the place he have given to her. And now they were proving Kalim a lier. Each months’s rental calculation matters for Kalim. A poor tailor’s argument was more powerful than the owner, His remembrance of dates seemed correct. But a owner’s logic is more supported by the public including other shopkeepers in that building. Kalim’s customers have nothing to do with his payment so they were neutral.
In this materialistic world, money has power, it got logic too, it got votes, it got support. It makes arguments stronger even if these arguments are not connected with the eternal truth ultimately. The common man like Kalim may have truth on his side but most of the time his voice will be lost in the thousand of similar chaos of truth. Deprived of shop, deprived of truth, deprived of support, vanishing base of customers, only companion Kalim possessed is his Prestige. He did not have prestige for his customers to whom he wanted to serve, to whom he begged not to take their cloths. Papa knew the both the parties well he became the voice of Kalim, and found the logical contradiction between them and sorted out the dispute. Papa told the owner to make the diary of rents paid and let him stay there. By this time most of the customers had taken the cloth from him. His shop looked empty with few repairable cloths including ours.On that evening he brought back my cloths, his eyes were gleaming.

Note: This post title is renamed as an effect of suggestions coming in.